sábado, 27 de novembro de 2010

US teenager held in Oregon over Christmas 'bomb plot'


A teenager has been arrested in the US state of Oregon after allegedly plotting to carry out a car bomb attack at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
Somali-born Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, was arrested after reportedly making a telephone call he thought would set off the bomb in the centre of Portland.
However, the bomb was a fake supplied by agents in a sting operation.
Mr Mohamud is a naturalised US citizen who had allegedly been in contact with an associate in north-west Pakistan.
He has been charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. BBC News

Twelve arrested over deadly Baghdad church siege


Twelve suspected militants have been arrested in connection with a deadly church siege in Baghdad last month, Iraq's interior minister says.
Jawad Bolani said the arrests were made in raids over recent days and described them as a blow to al-Qaeda.
More than 50 people were killed when militants took over the Our Lady of Salvation church on 31 October.
The gunmen seized the Catholic church during Sunday Mass, demanding the release of al-Qaeda prisoners.
It ended only when security forces stormed the church, after an hours-long stand-off. About 60 people were injured.
The suspects are said to include Huthaifa al-Batawi, the Baghdad chief of the Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant umbrella group to which al-Qaeda in Iraq belongs, according to AFP news agency.
The group has said it carried out the attack.
Senior Islamic State of Iraq leader Ammar al-Najadi was also among those detained, AFP said. BBC News

FBI impede atentado com carro-bomba nos Estados Unidos

O FBI (Polícia federal norte-americana) frustrou um plano de ataque com carro-bomba durante a cerimônia anual de inauguração de uma árvore de Natal, na noite de sexta-feira em Portland, Oregon, informaram as autoridades neste sábado.


O Departamento de Justiça identificou o suposto líder do complô como Mohamed Osman Mohamud, de 19 anos, cidadão americano de origem somali.

Mohamud foi detido por agentes do FBI e pela polícia de Portland por volta das 17H40 de sexta-feira (02H00 de Brasília de sábado), depois que ele tentou explodir uma caminhonete estacionada perto do local da cerimônia, a qual ele acreditava estar lotada de explosivos.

No entanto, o dispositivo havia sido desativado, e o público não correu riscos, destacaram as autoridades.

Mas "a ameaça foi muito real. Nossa investigação revelou que Mohamud estava absolutamente decidido a levar adiante um atentado de grande escala", disse Arthur Balizan, agente especial do FBI em Oregon.

"Ao mesmo tempo, gostaria de esclarecer às pessoas desta comunidade que, de qualquer modo, retiramos sua capacidade de fato de realizar o atentado", acrescentou. Folha Online

Avião de carga com oito a bordo cai em área residencial de Karachi, no Paquistão

Um avião de carga com oito pessoas a bordo caiu no começo de domingo (noite de sábado em Brasília) em uma área residencial de Karachi, a maior cidade do Paquistão, causando incêndio em prédios. É o terceiro acidente aéreo em menos de cinco meses no Paquistão.

Os oito tripulantes --todos russos-- morreram, informou a autoridade de aviação civil. É possível que existam vítimas em terra também.

O porta-voz da Autoridade de Aviação Civil, Pervez George, disse que era um avião de carga, de fabricação russa, com destino ao Sudão. "Decolou de Karachi à 1h45 [18h45 em Brasília], hora local, e depois de um minuto e meio caiu", disse Pervez George.

A aeronave atingiu um prédio em construção em um complexo da Marinha. Vários prédios desocupados nas proximidades pegaram fogo.

O acidente aconteceu no bairro de Dalmai, perto do aeroporto, onde vivem oficiais da Força Aérea e da Marinha paquistanesa, segundo testemunhas e autoridades. Os bombeiros tentam combater as chamas. Folha Online

"Dessa vez, bandidos se deram mal", diz diretor da Viva Rio

Ana Cláudia Barros
A sequência de ataques no Rio de Janeiro, capitaneada por facções criminosas, não surpreendeu o antropólogo Rubem César Fernandes, diretor executivo da ONG Viva Rio. Segundo ele, ondas de violência às vésperas de transições políticas estão no histórico do Estado, "como se fossem uma tentativa de intervir na fragilidade desses momentos, em que os governantes estão discutindo mudanças".
Fernandes, entretanto, identifica elementos novos no atual cenário. Um dos mais significativos deles foi o apoio dos fluminenses às intervenções das forças de segurança.
- Nunca vi a população contente com a polícia. Não é normal. Vi notícias, inclusive, de moradores da Vila Cruzeiro (favela ocupada pela polícia na última quinta-feira, 25), apoiando os policiais, dando comida, dando água. Isso, em geral, não acontece. O pessoal tem medo. É uma virada.
Outro diferencial, que, segundo o antropólogo, talvez explique a adesão de grande parte do povo do Rio, foi a política de ocupação e de domínio territorial, apresentada pelo Estado por meio das Unidades de Polícia Pacificadora (UPPs).
- Acho que o que mudou foi que, desta vez, tivemos uma política de segurança que mostrou um caminho de superação da situação. No passado, a gente andava em círculos, sem sair do lugar. Dessa vez, com as UPPs, com a estratégia de reconquista de territórios, de forma planejada e acompanhada de programas sociais e de urbanização, ou seja, dessa vez, há uma política que aponta uma direção para superar esse quadro.
Sobre o suporte dado pelas Forças Armadas - o que não chega a ser uma novidade -, especialmente a Marinha, o representante da Viva Rio, também observa distinções na comparação com o passado.
- Antigamente, quando se falava da participação das Forças Armadas, levantava-se um debate que precisava chamar constitucionalista para entender a discussão. E o resultado é que não acontecia nada. Era como se fosse uma intervenção federal no Estado e ninguém quer intervenção, o governo não quer sofrer intervenção, evita chamar. Agora, com a cooperação da Marinha, que utlizou equipamentos para potencializar a capacidade de entrar na comunidade, conseguiu-se uma presença muito mais forte.
Na avaliação do antropólogo, este fator, aliado ao apoio popular, surpreendeu os criminosos, que, num primeiro momento, conseguiram atingir o objetivo de chamar a atenção da mídia.
- Eles (traficantes) não contavam com uma resposta tão forte e tão unânime. Isso criou para eles uma situação difícil. Na Vila Cruzeiro, em 2007, houve um ano de batalhas terríveis e que não deram em nada. Agora, na Vila Cruzeiro ao menos, a polícia entrou com uma rapidez impressionante. Há vários aspectos novos que dão esperança de que, dessa vez, os bandidos se deram mal. Fizeram uma provocação para tentar intervir no debate, mostrar força, desmoralizar a política de segurança, mas ao contrário de desmoralizar, houve uma reafirmação.
Alinhamento de forças
Outro ponto destacado por Fernandes foi o alinhamento da política de segurança em todos os níveis: municipal, estadual e federal, um "alinhamento como nunca houve antes".
- Claro que há desafios muito grandes pela frente, porque eles (criminosos) fugiram da Vila Cruzeiro e se agruparam no (Complexo do) Alemão, que é mais espalhado, tem acessos mais difíceis. Pelo menos, essa mesma cúpula da segurança estava no comando em 2007, 2008, quando ficaram um ano inteiro brigando, sem sucesso, com os bandidos e com muita violência. Espero que tenham aprendido as lições feitas e tenham uma estratégia mais cuidadosa para consolidar o ganho que houve na Vila Cruzeiro. Se consolidar já é uma grande conquista.
Para o antropólogo, é importante que, depois de contornado o problema, haja uma política de compensação para os moradores da Vila Cruzeiro e da Penha. "Eles têm sofrido demais com a violência. É preciso direcionar para lá todo arsenal de projetos sociais hoje disponíveis". Terra Magazine

EEUU y Corea del Sur inician sus controvertidos ejercicios militares en el Mar Amarillo

EEUU y Corea del Sur han comenzado las maniobras militares conjuntas en el Mar Amarillo. Las ejercicios militares, según Washington, estaban previstos antes de que se produjera el ataque del régimen norcoreano a una isla limítrofe de su vecino del Sur. En cualquier caso, las maniobras, que se prolongarán durante cuatro días, están consideradas como una respuesta oficial al bombardeo del régimen de Kim Jong-il, que dejó cuatro víctimas mortales.
Por su parte, Pyongyang ya había advertido durante esta semana que consideraba las maniobras conjuntas una "provocación" y amenazaba con "consecuencias". El régimen norcoreano había amenazado previamente a su vecino del Sur tras conocer las maniobras al señalar que éstas ponían a la zona "al borde de la guerra".
También apuntaron que responderá "sin piedad" a cualquier provocación. En un comunicado, Pyongyang, aseguró con su habitual retórica bélica, estar "preparada para aniquilar" a Corea del Sur si su soberanía es violada. "Mostraremos un ejemplo firme y sin piedad a cualquier provocación sobre nuestra dignidad y soberanía", señala el régimen de Kim Jong-il. El Mundo

Margo Glantz: "Me siento la Julia Roberts de las letras"

GUADALAJARA (CNNMéxico) — "Me siento la Julia Roberts de la literatura", dijo una chispeante Margo Glantz, escritora mexicana, al recibir este sábado el reconocimiento y homenaje del Premio FIL de Literatura en Lenguas Romances.

"Podría ser la Julia Roberts de la literatura por su belleza, pero ya quisiera ella ser la Margo Glantz de Hollywood", acotó el secretario de Educación en México, Alonso Lujambio, quien inauguró la feria en representación del presidente de la República, Felipe Calderón.

El funcionario fue más allá al pedirle a la escritora mexicana, "ya que están de moda las bodas políticas o cinematográficas" (al mismo tiempo se celebraba en Toluca la boda del gobernador Enrique Peña Nieto), dejarlo ser 'su Brad Pitt'.

Los juegos de palabras y coqueteos relajaron el ambiente de dos horas de discursos por parte de organizadores de la feria, funcionarios y representantes de la junta Castilla y León, que este año es la región invitada al encuentro de las letras más importante de Hispanoamérica.

La feria, que en años anteriores reunió a más de tres premios nobel de literatura, durante la ceremonia de la inauguración, hoy contó con la presencia del francés Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio (Premio Nobel 2008). 

Fue notoria la ausencia de Gabriel García MárquezCarlos FuentesMario Vargas Llosa, asiduos asistentes a la FIL.

El reconocimiento que se entrega cada año en el marco de la inauguración de la Feria Internacional del Libro (FIL) de Guadalajara, en el occidental estado de Jalisco, recae por primera vez en la figura de una escritora mexicana.

"Este premio es un gran reconocimiento y tiene un significado cabalístico", dijo en su discurso al hacer un recuento de los números que la envuelven: 80 años de edad y como mujer, la primera en ingresar a la Academia Mexicana de las Letras y la tercera y única mexicana en obtener el premio FIL. CNN México

¿Podrá Brasil seguir frenando la deforestación del Amazonas?

(CNN) — Sólo cuando volaba sobre las copas de los árboles delAmazonas Brasileño fui capaz de comprender el tamaño de la selva.

La selva tropical del Amazonas es la más grande del mundo. Se extiende por nueve países diferentes, y abarca más de 4,800,000 kilómetros cuadrados.

Estos árboles son importantes para todos nosotros. Son vitales para elsistema de agua del mundo y la generación de oxígeno. Una quinta parte de las precipitaciones en el mundo proviene del ecosistema del Amazonas.

A medida que volamos sobre el bosque la vista cambia: la exuberante alfombra de árboles da paso a zonas con la apariencia de palillos esparcidos en el suelo.

Ésta es la realidad de la deforestación. Me di cuenta de que en todos los artículos que he leído acerca de la deforestación, nunca pude ser capaz de imaginar la realidad. Y la escala del daño es inimaginable.

Paul Adario, director de Greenpeace en el Amazonas, dice que el 17% de la selva ha desaparecido. De acuerdo al Banco Mundial, el punto de inflexión es de 20%, cuando una quinta parte de los árboles hayan desaparecido, el ecosistema estará demasiado desequilibrado para funcionar como debe.

Fue un shock aterrizar en un pequeño aeropuerto cerca de Boca Do Acre, al sur del Amazonas. Había árboles que fueron reemplazados por trozos renegridos, y el ganado pastaba en lo que alguna vez fue parte de la magnifica vegetación que había visto desde arriba.

Brasil ha trabajado duro para manejar sustentablemente el bosque. Se espera que los nuevos datos confirmen que el año pasado se obtuvo una caída del 50% en el nivel de deforestación comparado con años anteriores. CNN México

Legisladores rusos dicen que Stalin ordenó la matanza de 20,000 polacos

(CNN) — La cámara baja del parlamento ruso aprobó una resolución en la que el país reconoce que el régimen de Josef Stalin es responsable de la masacre de más de 20,000 polacos en 1940.

La resolución se llama "Katyn la tragedia y sus víctimas", y fue bien recibida por el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores polaco.

"Reconocer la responsabilidad del régimen totalitario en esta masacre sin precedentes es un gesto importante del parlamento de Rusia, lo que significa que hay progresos en el camino de la reconciliación entre los países y las personas", aseguró el ministerio a través de un comunicado.

"El gesto prueba que no hay retrocesos en el diálogo basado en el diálogo entre Polonia y Rusia", añadió.

Documentos ocultos en archivos secretos durante años demuestran que "la masacre fue cometida por ordenas directas de Stalin", dice la declaración del parlamento ruso, según la agencia estatal de noticias rusa, RIA Novosti.

El desacuerdo sobre la identidad del autor intelectual de la masacre de Katyn ha causado disputas constantes entre las dos naciones ex comunistas.

La masacre ocurrió durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, y se calcula que 20,000 polacos fueron asesinados a quemarropa en la villa de Katyn.

Durante décadas el gobierno soviético culpó de las muertes a la Alemania Nazi.

En 1990, Rusia finalmente aceptó lo que muchos esperaron durante años en Polonia: Que la Unión Soviética asesinó en secreto a más de 22,000 soldados y civiles polacos al inicio de la Segunda Guerra Mundial en un intento por prevenir un intento de subversión contra el comunismo.

Ese año, legisladores rusos abrieron una investigación sobre los asesinatos, pero fue cerrada en el 2004.

En el 2010 se transmitió por primera vez en Rusia un película del 2007 sobre la masacre.

Algunos legisladores insisten en que la masacre aún es tema de disputa. Los Comunistas se oponen a la declaración e insisten en que fueron las autoridades alemanas las que ordenaron el asesinato de los polacos. CNN México

Al menos 8 muertos tras la caída de un avión de carga en Pakistán

(CNN) — Un avión se estrelló la madrugada del domingo (hora local) en una zona residencial de Karachi, Pakistán, matando al menos a ocho personas a bordo y dejando un gran incendio, dijo un funcionario paquistaní. 

El avión de carga, que despegó a la 01:45 am (tiempo local) desde el Aeropuerto Internacional Jinnah Karachi de Jartum, Sudán, dijo George Pervez, portavoz de la Autoridad Civil de Aviación de Pakistán.

El avión se estrelló minutos más tarde cerca de la sección de Gulistan-e Johar de Karachi. 

Las ocho personas que murieron eran miembros de la tripulación de la aeronave, dijo Pervez.

Un portavoz del hospital local informó a CNN que había recibido cinco cuerpos a las 04:00 am (tiempo local).

El avión era de fabricación rusa y transportaba sumunistros de ayuda, incluyendo tiendas de campaña, con destino a África, señaló George.  

Un testigo dijo a CNN que había visto fuego en una de las alas del avión antes de estrellarse. 

El accidente provocó el colapso de dos edificios en construcción, dijeron los residentes de GEO News, una filial de CNN en Pakistán. CNN México

Funeral held for S. Korean marines

SEOUL, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A somber joint military funeral was held Saturday south of Seoul for two South Korean marines killed in a North Korean artillery attack this week.

Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and scores of political and military officials were among some 500 people at the funeral for Staff Sgt. Seo Jeong-woo, 22, and Pvt. Mun Gwang-wook, 20, the Yonhap news agency said.

The soldiers and at least two civilians were killed Tuesday when North Korean shells rained down on the island of Yeonpyeong, home to a South Korean military base.

Saturday, hundreds of Korean veterans, some former special forces troops, faced off with riot-equipped police at a rally in downtown Seoul calling on the government to retaliate against North Korea for shelling the island, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said.

Demonstrators burned a North Korean flag, sprayed officers with fire extinguishers and beat some with wooden stakes when police pushed back with the shields.

North Korea said the shelling was to deter South Korea from conducting military exercises from its base in the disputed area near the border. UPI

Putin declares DiCaprio a 'real man'

MOSCOW - Not everyone gets to be called a "real man" by Vladimir Putin himself.
But Russia's tough-guy prime minister awarded that honor to Hollywood heart-throb Leonardo DiCaprio, whose plane caught fire on the way to a summit on tigers in Putin's native city Saint Petersburg.
"I would like to thank you for coming despite all the obstacles," Putin told a smiling DiCaprio, who also pledged $1 million to the tiger cause. DiCaprio has already helped the World Wildlife Fund raise $20 million for tiger conservation earlier this year, it said.
"A person with less-stable nerves could have decided against coming, could have read it as a sign, that it was not worth going," Putin said.
The Russian prime minister said the Titanic star had "literally tore his way through to Saint Petersburg", calling DiCaprio "a real man" (or "muzhik") for his persistence.
"If wildlife and tiger conservation is in the hands of people with such character, we are destined to succeed," he said.
He then asked DiCaprio if he spoke any Russian - to which the Hollywood star replied no.
But DiCaprio revealed that two of his late grandparents were Russian, and that he had always wanted to bring his grandmother to Saint Petersburg.
DiCaprio was among the passengers on a Delta Airline jet that was forced to make an emergency landing in New York on Monday after losing an engine.
His second plane faced strong headwinds and was required to make an unscheduled refuelling stop in Helsinki, Putin told the audience.
Putin has carefully cultivated a tough-guy image throughout his political career, using strong language in speeches and practicing judo and even co-piloting fighter jets in front of the television cameras.
His latest stunt came earlier this month, when Putin burned rubber on a racing circuit in a Formula One car. China Daily

Internet TV proves to be quite a handful

Thanksgiving gives families a chance to get together, eat, talk and then gather around the television for some quality time.
With holiday shopping deals abounding and prices of big-screen TVs continuing to drop, I wanted to find out whether it was worthwhile to get a new Internet TV for those special family moments.
Although watching Dad or Gramps struggle with the remote control is as traditional as turkey, I wanted to avoid any complicated setup.
So I tried Google TV, which allows users to surf the Internet while watching TV. You can also search for and stream online shows, movies and music. Google TV is delivered through Sony and Logitech sets and some Blu-ray players, and came pre-installed in the review product, a 40-inch Sony LCD TV that retails for $999. Sony also offers 24-, 32- and 46-inch models.
The TV's picture and sound quality were as expected for a Sony at this price, and the set would look good in any living room. It's encased in sleek, glossy plastic and comes with a remote control, a blaster cable that allows users to control a DVD or cable box, and a basic stand. It has multiple HDMI and USB ports in the back but no buttons out front.
The TV connects wirelessly to a user's home computer network and also has hardwire connectivity. Google's Android operating system will be familiar to some smart phone users, as will its stripped-down Chrome browser, but my guess is that most users will be new to streaming the Internet through a TV. This is where simplicity counts the most.
But, like the 90-button remote control, setup was complicated and occasionally frustrating. After configuring the handset and powering up, users get a welcome display box that guides them through an additional launch process that takes more than 20 minutes. It's finicky and newbies may feel lost if they miss a step.
Operating the remote control alone requires significant left-right brain interaction and usually both hands. It boasts a full QWERTY keyboard and dual scroll pads and is overly complex and counterintuitive in many ways. One of its few pluses is that, as a result of its bulk, it's very difficult to lose.
Press the remote's space bar and a search box drops into the middle of the TV screen. Theoretically this allows users to search all media broadcast over the Internet or on cable TV. In practice it didn't work too well, leaving me frustrated at a lack of content available online or on applications.
Google recently has seen some of its most important content partners halt access to their services. ABC, CBS and NBC and Fox have all blocked video streaming through Google TV, so no online access to Fox News videos for Dad or "Dancing With the Stars" for Mom. Hulu also has blocked its content, though Google says it's working on a partnership to stream Hulu Plus, which comes with a $10 monthly subscription fee. Of course, users can still watch these shows through traditional TV or cable service hooked up to the Sony set. Los Angeles Times

Both Koreas issue threats on eve of US-Seoul war games


As US and South Korean forces prepared for joint war games in the Yellow Sea today, North Korea threatened further attacks and accused its neighbour of using civilians as "human shields".
The developments deepened fears of serious armed conflict in the region, which is undergoing its greatest period of tension since the 1950-53 Korean war. Using typically bellicose language, a state-run website in the North warned that the military exercises would be an "unpardonable provocation" and that it would create a "sea of fire" if any of its own territory was violated.
At the same time the North Korean state news agency accused the South of causing casualties by using civilians as shields around military installations on the island of Yeonpyeong, where Northern artillery fire killed two South Korean marines and two civilians last week.
"Responsibility lies in enemies' inhumane action of creating a 'human shield' by deploying civilians around artillery positions," the agency said, blaming the US for creating a "propaganda campaign" against it. Such accusations by the North are a common feature of the periodic crises that flare up on the Korean peninsula, but there seems little doubt the current situation is gravely serious. This time the public mood in the South appears to have turned away from placating its unpredictable neighbour in favour of a more punishing policy.
At a funeral yesterday for the marines killed on Yeonpyeong, the South Korean military commander, Major-General You Nak-jun, laid flowers at an altar and vowed that his country would retaliate if there was a further attack from the North. "Our marine corps ... will carry out a hundred – or thousand-fold…" in retaliation, he said at the ceremony. "We will put our feelings of rage and animosity in our bones and take our revenge on North Korea," he added.
At the same time protesters in Seoul took to the streets demanding a tougher response. They included a demonstration by some 70 former special forces troops who donned white headbands and confronted riot police with wooden batons and fire extinguishers in front of the defence ministry. Elsewhere 1,000 marine veterans burned photographs of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and chanted slogans urging action. "Time for retaliation. Let's hit the presidential palace in Pyongyang," they shouted.
The crisis has already cost the South Korean defence minister, Kim Tae-young, his job amid accusations that the response to North Korea's initial attack had been too weak. Now the South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak, has sent 4,000 troops as reinforcements to Yeonpyeong and other nearby islands with extra weapons and new rules of engagement that give them greater scope to respond if attacked.
The world's diplomatic corps is working feverishly to contain the crisis and make sure there is no further conflict. China, which is widely seen as having influence over the North, has held talks with the US between its foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, and the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton. "The pressing task now is to put the situation under control," the Chinese foreign ministry quoted Yang as telling Clinton. The Guardian

Bulgaria Ranks Third Among Most Convicted Countries

Bulgaria ranks third in the most convicted countries for violated human rights, following Turkey and Russia, the judge from Bulgaria's Supreme Court of Cassations, Pavlina Panova, said.
In her words, Bulgaria is among the countries that pay the most compensations after verdicts by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
"Because of the controversial practice on judicial decisions, there is a big risk for our country," Panova said.
She gave an example with the case of three former employees of the Department of Operational and Technical Information, which were sent to court over bugging devices that were found in the home of former chief prosecutor.
The three men received different verdicts with respect to their dismissal, even though their cases were completely identical.
According to Paunova, it is expected soon an interpretative decision of the Supreme Court of Cassations for the unjustified ban on leaving the country, which is imposed on outstanding obligations. In her words, such a restriction violates people's right of free movement. Novinite

Russian-made cargo plane crashes in Pakistan, 8 crew dead

A Russian-made Il-76 cargo plane crashed early Sunday in a Karachi residential neighborhood, killing all eight crewmembers and destroying several buildings under construction, CNN reported.
The plane burst in flames shortly after a takeoff from the Karachi International Airport heading for Khartoum, Sudan, CNN cited local authorities as saying.
The Associated Press and Reuters later said that all eight crewmembers on board the plane were Russians, although some other sources claim that six of the crew were Pakistani.
The plane went down in an upscale housing complex for naval officers, injuring at least one person on the ground, local officials said.
The crash is the third in four months in Pakistan.
On November 5, 21 people were killed when a small passenger plane crashed soon after taking off from Karachi airport.
In July, an Airbus A321, operated by a local air carrier, went down near the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board. RIA Novosti

Okinawa governor poll to be dominated by base issue


Voters in Japan's Okinawa are to elect a governor in a poll closely linked to the future of a controversial US military base relocation plan.
Incumbent Hirokazu Nakaima faces a tough challenge from Mayor Yoichi Iha.
Both say they oppose moving Futenma airbase to northern Okinawa, but Mr Iha is seen as the more staunch opponent.
The election matters because it is the governor who can approve or veto the plan, which has severely strained ties between Tokyo and Washington.
Under the half-century-old US-Japan security alliance, the US agrees to defend Japan in return for land for military bases.
Almost three-quarters of these bases are in Okinawa, where there is growing resentment over their presence. BBC News

luishipolito@outlook.com

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